


The Tears of a Lonely Man

by Daisyspamwich



Category: Scooby Doo - All Media Types, What's New Scooby-Doo? (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Boyfriends, Despair, Fluff, Heartbreak, Love, M/M, Parody, Romance, Sad and Beautiful, True Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-06
Updated: 2020-03-03
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:55:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 1,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22148257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daisyspamwich/pseuds/Daisyspamwich
Summary: Fred feels that it is his duty to solve as many cases as he can, but in doing so, neglects the love of his life, Shaggy. With tensions high and yet another case presented to the gang, can the pair rekindle their love?
Relationships: Fred Jones/Norville "Shaggy" Rogers
Comments: 8
Kudos: 123





	1. Chapter 1

“And I would’ve gotten away with it too, if it weren’t for you meddling kids.”  
The old man was escorted away by the police officer as the gang headed back to the Mystery Machine.

“Like, that’s the sixth case we’ve solved this month! Can we have a break or something?” Shaggy whined.  
“There are other cases to be solved Shaggy!” Fred snapped, “We can’t just abandon those who need us. Why can’t you learn to be a little less selfish?”

Fred’s words stung. Shaggy knew that there were a number of unsolved cases lined up, but he needed a break, a day to recover from the month of hard work. He needed rest, a good meal, time with his family. But most of all, he needed Fred. He couldn’t understand it; it seemed that the more time he spent with Fred, the more distance there was between them. 

Daphne and Velma were both dropped home, and Shaggy called shotgun and pushed the dog to the back of the van. The atmosphere was tense as Fred started the drive to Shaggy’s.

“Like, Freddie?” Shaggy gulped after a moment of silence, “Do you think that we’re like, growing apart man?”  
Fred flinched. “Just leave it Shag. I need to focus on work and so do you.”  
“But I-”  
“I said leave it.” Fred’s grip tightened on the steering wheel and he visibly became more tense.  
Shaggy felt a lump in his throat. “FINE!” he shouted. “I KNOW YOU CARE ABOUT MYSTERIES MORE THAN ME BUT I THOUGHT WE WOULD AT LEAST BE ABLE TO HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT IT!”  
“Shag-”  
“Just stop the van, Freddie.” Shaggy blurted through tears.  
He jumped out of the van and ran the rest of the way home which was unfortunately just over seven miles away.

Shaggy eventually reached home and cried into his pillow. After three hours of continuous crying he sat up to reach for a dry pillow cover, and caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. His hair was greasy and cut unevenly. His eyes were red as always, but this time from the crying and not the vast quantity of weed he smoked. 

That was it. Shaggy had had enough of being second best. He had had enough of the self loathing and wondering why he was never good enough in Fred’s eyes. He grabbed a pair of scissors and started chopping away at his hair, trying desperately to make himself look more presentable. Then the anger subsided, and made way for a wave of despair. The scissors dropped to the floor as Shaggy threw his head into his hands. He would never be good enough. Who was he kidding? Fred was a complete and utter UNIT. He was nothing in comparison to him. He stumbled back to bed, not bothering to change the pillow cover; there would be many more tears tonight.


	2. Chapter 2

Fred, Velma, Daphne and Scooby were sat in the Mystery Machine outside Shaggy’s house the next morning.

“Fred, we’re going to be late.” Velma stated. “Is he coming?”  
“I can’t get through to him…” Fred frowned, “all of my calls are going straight to voicemail.”  
“Let’s just go; we can’t wait around for him forever.”

And with that, the gang set off towards their destination, another fucking abandoned amusement park.

An old man walked over to the team.  
“Thanks for getting here on such short notice, my name is Jenkins, Old Man Jenkins.” he said, shaking Fred’s hand. “It all started last night! A monster, a hideous monster has been terrorising my park.”

“Why do you care so much? This place seems a little run down anyway.” Daphne asked.

Old Man Jenkins sighed a breath full of melancholy. “This was my father’s pride and joy before he died. He loved to make people happy, to ensure that people had an amazing time at this park. But after he died… well, the park lost its charm, people stopped visiting, and one by one his staff quit. Now I do everything in my power to keep this place alive, in my father’s memory.”

“I’m so sorry Old Man Jenkins.” Daphne said. “I’m sure that he would be very proud of you.”

“We’ll do everything in our power to catch the culprit behind this case.” Velma added, putting a singular hand on his singular shoulder.

The gang decided that it would be best to split up and look for clues. Fred and Scooby made their way over to the rollercoaster. 

“Let’s see if we can find any good clues Sha- Scooby, I mean Scooby.” Fred looked down at the ground in sadness. He hoped that Shaggy would be alright, that he hadn’t taken his words too badly. 'I never meant to hurt him.' He thought, 'I just wanted him to enjoy solving mysteries as much as I do.'

Suddenly, the massive dog jumped into the hunk’s arms.

“What is it Scoob?!” Fred exclaimed as he snapped out of his wallowing.

“M-m-m-m… MONSTER!” Scooby screeched.  
Fred looked towards the rollercoaster, and met eyes with the hooded figure stood on top of the metal tracks. Fred could not make out the person’s face, apart from his glowing, blood-red eyes. 

Suddenly, the tracks of the rollercoaster began to tumble to the ground towards Fred and Scooby. The pair leapt out of the way just in time, but the figure was now nowhere to be seen...


	3. Chapter 3

Velma and Daphne sprinted over to the wreckage that now lay before Fred and Scooby.

“Jinkies!” Velma exclaimed. “What happened?”

“The monster, ghost? Whatever it is just turned up and destroyed the tracks!” Fred replied. “It was awful.”

“Did you see anything that gave you an idea about who or what it could be?” Daphne asked.

“No, they were shrouded in shadow so I couldn’t tell.” Fred said. “All I could make out were their terrifying eyes…”

“What should we do Fred? Should we set a trap?” Velma asked.

“Yes. I think that would be wise. Catch them before they destroy anything else.”

The gang began to formulate a plan on how to apprehend the criminal. 

“Shaggy, you can be used as bait!” Fred exclaimed, before his face fell as he realised the absence of his lover hurt him greatly.

Velma put a hand on his shoulder. “Why don’t you be the bait this time, big boy?” She offered.

Fred flinched a little. He had never been used as bait before; it was always Shaggy or Scooby who were offered up on the platter.

Fred was strapped into the seat on the ferris wheel and was suspended at the highest point, looking out over the abandoned park. He began to understand just how Shaggy must have felt when forced to be used as bait. It wasn’t fun. It was dark, there was a terrifying monster on the loose, and he was alone. The silence was excruciating. Fred felt as isolated and forgotten as the park. Rain started to pour from the sky and thunder and lightning closely followed.

A flash of bright light blinded Fred for a moment, and when his eyes adjusted once more, the figure was stood on the metal bar of the ferris wheel in front of him. Fred gasped from shock. Velma rushed out from behind a bush with a fucking ginormous net, and tried to scoop the figure off of the ride.

“Oh for fuck’s sake!” Fred proclaimed, “The net’s too short!”

The cloaked figure laughed maniacally. “What a pitiful attempt at catching a criminal, Fred Jones!”

“How do you know my name?” Fred demanded.

“You really have lost your touch, haven’t you? You’re nothing without your little team. You’ve always been so pathetic.”


	4. Chapter 4

Fred felt tears begin to roll uncontrollably down his cheeks. “I am, I’m nothing.” He repeated to the figure that stood before him. “I should never have done this, I should never have taken this case. I should have focused on what was really important to me: spending more time with Shaggy rather than pushing him away.”

The figure hesitated for a moment, before shaking his head and taking a step closer to Fred.  
“You had your chance, but you threw that all away… Freddie!” The figure threw back his hood to reveal his face.

“Shaggy..” Fred exclaimed as he gazed upon his lover’s face. It all suddenly made sense in Fred’s head. The figure’s eyes in particular, glowing red not because he was possessed by an evil spirit, but rather because he was high. “What the fuck are you doing?”

“I’m showing you what it feels like to be me. What it’s like to feel like you’re constantly living in someone else’s shadow. Like, now you know what it’s like to be seen as a joke, as NOTHING.”

“Shag,” Fred addressed him, “You know you mean the world to me. I should never have pushed you away, and I promise I will never push you away again. I love you. Now let’s get down from here okay?”

Tears streamed down Shaggy’s cheeks. “Aren’t you angry with me? I just took up time that could have been spent solving other mysteries! I betrayed you and the whole gang!”

“Of course I’m angry.” Fred replied. “I’m angry that I have made you feel like you’re not worth it; I’m angry that I pushed you away to the point where you thought THIS was the solution. I’m so sorry Shaggy, you’ve always been the best of me.”

Shaggy smiled and took Fred’s hand in his. Fred pulled him into a kiss. 

“I promise that you will never feel alone again. I will always be here to protect you Shaggy.”

The pair got down from the ferris wheel and Shaggy was immediately arrested for trespassing and criminal damage.


End file.
